


The Path Unwinding

by agirlnamedtruth



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fate & Destiny, Infertility
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-30
Updated: 2014-08-30
Packaged: 2018-02-13 20:27:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2164107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agirlnamedtruth/pseuds/agirlnamedtruth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>History repeats itself until the cycle breaks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Path Unwinding

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Merlin [Summer Pornathon](http://summerpornathon.livejournal.com/) challenge of "cycles".

Ygraine ran her hand over Uther’s back, her legs parting for him and embracing him like a soldier returning from battle. He wasn’t just any soldier, he was the King and they weren’t just making love, they were making a prince.

Her golden hair flowed over the pillows, a tangled mess that Uther ran his fingers through as he pushed into her, filling her entirely. She couldn’t imagine not becoming pregnant the first time he bedded her but it hadn’t happened, nor had it happened in the several years after.

She rocked her hips up to meet his, desperate to help them conceive in any way they could and when she felt the first rush of his seed spilling, she clung onto him, milking him for every last drop.

Long after he had fallen asleep, she was still awake; daydreaming of boys’ names and wooden toys. She pressed her thighs together as if it would stop the possibility from running away from her.

-

A week later, she wept at the sharp pains that came with her bleeding. She would not have a child this month, just like every month that had gone before. She suspected she never would. She could feel it in her very soul, something crucial was missing between them and everything natural told her it was not meant to be.

But they lived in an age where natural was not the be all and end all of all things. She took Uther’s hand and placed it on her belly. “Talk with Nimeuh, she promises you will have a son.”

The deal was made and the rituals performed. With Uther inside her and the knowledge it would work, she clung to him even tighter. Her body told her it was not meant to be and she would not survive it but when Uther held her afterwards, his head pressed against her belly, as if he might hear his child’s laughter already, she decided it was worth it.

-

Gwen smiled down at her King, lowering herself onto his cock and planting her hands on his chest. He was looked like a dream, with his golden hair against the white pillow. She loved it best like this, being able to see him entirely while riding his cock.

They’d never discussed children. She knew it was a delicate issue, given how his mother had died in childbirth, a fact he still blamed himself for. But at the back of her mind lingered a hope. Perhaps this time. Camelot was at peace, Morgana had not been seen for nearly a year and the knights’ ranks were strong again. Now would be the perfect time.

When she felt him finish inside her, she leaned down, close enough to kiss him through it. His hand slipped between their bodies and stroked her clit, drawing her down to share his pleasure.

Afterwards, she dreamed of Arthur holding a baby in his arms but when she woke, he was only holding her.

-

A little over a month later, Gwen woke to find her nightdress and the sheets stained. She hadn’t been prepared. She’d thought... It didn’t matter now.

She woke Arthur and in his sleepy state, he rolled out of bed without questioning her. It was only after he’d splashed some water over his face that he realised she was stripping the bed. “Merlin can do that.”

“Really, you can’t ask him to,” Gwen said, her voice tight, her skin flushed. “I can manage.”

“Guinevere,” Arthur said, taking her hands away from the sheets before she ripped them. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s stupid,” she said reluctantly, hating the tears in her eyes. “I shouldn’t have given it thought but I was late this month. I thought I might be...” She lowered her voice, as though she was about to share a secret. “Pregnant.”

“It’s not stupid,” Arthur assured her, pulling her close and kissing her head.

She bit her lip, angry tears finally falling. “I’m sorry; I should be able to... I’m your wife, I’m meant to give you an heir. Otherwise what good am I?”

“Now you are being silly,” Arthur said, tilting her face so he could look into her eyes. “You are more important to me than anything, including carrying on the Pendragon line. If I’m not meant to have a child then I am grateful it’s you who will bear my name instead. I love you.”

Gwen kissed him, not realising just how worried she’d been until relief lifted the weight from her.

**Author's Note:**

> As of 01/01/18, I'm opting to disable comments. [More information here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13077201).


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